Stewart, Robert

“Robt Stewart” is a name found on, A list of the passengers aboard the John and Sarah of London John Greene Mr. bound for New England, dated 11 Nov 1651. ~ Suffolk Deeds, LIBER I., Massachusetts, 1880. Google Books Online
Similar names on the John & Sara List:
Stewart, Austin. NEHGR, SD
Stewart, Cha. NEHGR, SD [Charles]
Stewart, Neile. NEHGR, SD
Stewart, Robert. NEHGR, SD
Stewart, William. NEHGR, SD. He lived in Essex County, Massachusetts.
Name Variations: Stewart
Resided: York County, Maine

First Generation in the New World

1. ROBERT STEWART, was born in Scotland. He lived and worked in York County, Maine and died after 1690/1?

Biographical Notes:
1. He is in Wells, Maine with other Scottish prisoners  about or after 1669. ¹
2. Exiles from Scotland, in Stackpole and Thompson’s History of the town of Durham, NH (1913), they write, “[Henry Brown and James Orr] associated with them one Robert Stewart, another Scotchman, and left all their property to him.” Brown, Orr, and Stewart from Wells, ME are listed together as signing a petition on July 6, 1686.
3. 1689: MAINE, York: “Robert Steuart came before this Court and Ingadged to pay unto Jonathan Hamond twenty shillings…” ²
4. 1690: MAINE, York:
Feb 1690/1: “Robert Stewart not prosecuting his appeale against John Reding is according to law fined forty shillings.” ³

Published: 16 Mar 2020
Updated: 10 Apr 2020
Researchers: Teresa Rust
Editor: Teresa Rust

SOURCES AND NOTES:

There is a Samuel Stewart of Wells, York County, Maine in many York County Deeds at AmericanAncestors.org. He may be a son or grandson of Robert Stewart of Wells. ⁴

There are several men named Robert Stewart in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and nearby territories in 1600’s.

TIMELINE
1686: MAINE, Wells:
“Exiles from Scotland” in Stackpole and Thompson’s History of the town of Durham, NH (1913), they write, “[Henry Brown and James Orr] associated with them one Robert Stewart, another Scotchman, and left all their property to him.” Brown, Orr, and Stewart from Wells, ME are listed together as signing a petition on July 6, 1686.

1689: MAINE, York:
“Robert Steuart came before this Court and Ingadged to pay unto Jonathan Hamond twenty shillings…” ²

1690: MAINE, York:
Feb 1690/1: “Robert Stewart not prosecuting his appeale against John Reding is according to law fined forty shillings.” ³

1748: NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Robert Stewart born to JOHN and REBECCA STEWART.

Hi all. I am Hereld Stuart, the 8th great-grandson of Robert Stewart/Stuart of Norwalk, Ct. Savage’s Genealogical Dictionary, 1862, says this about Robert: “Robert, Norwalk, mov. in from Milford, where he had not been long, buying est. in Norwalk 1660, m. 12 June 1661, Bethia, d. of Thomas Rumball ⁵ of Stratford, had James, b. 19 Mar. 1662; Abigail, Aug. 1666; John, 18 Mar. 1668; Deborah, May 1669; Eliz. Sept. 1671 ; and Phebe, Feb. 1673, or 4; and was liv.1687.”

Later in the paragraph, Savage writes, “Of the gr. historic name, the clan of Stuart, were Austin, Charles, Neil, and Robert, prisoners of war from the sad field of 3 Sept. 1651, at Worcester, Cromwell’s crowning mercy, sent to Boston, where they arr. 13 May 1652, to be sold, but not to perpet. servit, as John Cotton gently suggests to Oliver. I can feel no doubt, that the gr. majority, betw. three quarters and nine tenths, d. of scurvy or broken heart; and not one in fifty of these young men left progeny.”

Since Robert was in Milford, Connecticut around 1659, it fits well with him possibly being the Robert Stewart listed as a passenger on the John and Sara, since he would have been released from his indentured servitude around that time.

However, there is another Robert Stewart connected with the SPOWs, mentioned as an associate of Henry Brown and James Orr in Wells, York, Maine. In the chapter “Exiles from Scotland” in Stackpole and Thompson’s History of the town of Durham, NH (1913), they write, “[Henry Brown and James Orr] associated with them one Robert Stewart, another Scotchman, and left all their property to him.” Brown, Orr, and Stewart from Wells, ME are listed together as signing a petition on July 6, 1686.

So the question remains – which, if either, of these men is the Robert Stewart from the Battle of Worcester? It would be great to see a document linking my Robert to that great historic battle, but it is highly unlikely that such a document exists.

My line from Robert of Norwalk (all with surname of Stuart):
Robert ->  Ensign James -> James II -> Luke -> Luke II -> Anson R. -> George Harvey
-> William Albert -> Hereld Anson -> Hereld Andrew -> Hereld Anson (Me)

Robert Stuart of Norwalk History by Hereld Stuart
“Robt., Robert STEWART, Residence 11/11/1651, Location
Massachusetts, United States  Original Text: Scotch Prisoners Sent to Massachusetts in 1652, By Order of the English Government”⁶

Stackpole in his “Scotch Exiles in New England”, an unpublished manuscript from 1922 says this:
“ROBERT STUART, Stewart, came in the John and Sara. He married (1) 12 June 1661, Bertha, daughter of Thomas and Rose (Sherwood) Rumble of Strafford, Conn., and settled in Norwalk, Conn., where he bought land, 6 March 1660. He died in 1689. Among his descendants were Prof. Moses Stuart of Andover Theological Seminary and his equally well known daughter, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps. Children: James b.19 March 1662/63 [died in 1751, TR] m. Experience —-; Abigail b. Aug. 1666 m. Richard Corsair ? John b. 18 March 1668/9; Deborah b. 1 May 1669; Elizabeth b. Sept. 1671; Phoebe b. Feb. 1673; Sarah b. 1675; Samuel b. May 1677 m. Hannah Bennett; Rachel b. 1685 m. David Raymond.” [ALL BORN at NORWALK, CONNECTICUT. TR] ⁷

He was undoubtedly aware of Robert Stewart of Wells, so I wonder what made him think that the man from the John and Sara was the one in Connecticut? ~ Dr. Andrew Millard

1. The Involuntary American, A Scottish Prisoners Journey to the New World, by Carol Gardner, c2019. [↩]
2. Maine: Early Wills and Deeds, 1640-1760. CD-ROM. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB84/i/7503/213/22202602 [↩] [↩]
3. Maine: Early Wills and Deeds, 1640-1760. CD-ROM. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB84/i/7503/220/22202610 [↩] [↩]
4. Maine: Early Wills and Deeds, 1640-1760. CD-ROM. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB84/i/7499/291/7540085 [↩]
5. North American Cemetery Transcriptions from NEHGS Manuscripts, 1642-1977. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1675/i/53955/109/72795731 [↩]
6. Vital Records from The NEHGS Register. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014.  https://www.americanancestors.org/DB522/rd/21065/379/1425475713 [↩]
7. Connecticut: Vital Records (The Barbour Collection), 1630-1870 From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB414/i/12609/127/143339193 [↩]